Baseball and Softball Alignment Training Device for Hitting

ABSTRACT

A baseball or softball alignment training device comprising a first leg having a general length and having a first end at one end of the general length and a second end at the distal end opposite from said first end. A second leg having a general length and having a first end at one end of the general length and a second end at the distal and opposite from said first end. Aa first hinge member carried by the second end of said first leg. The first hinge member having a first abutment edge. The second hinge member carried by the second end of the second leg. The second hinge member having a second abutment edge. The first and second hinge members pivotally interconnected and wherein the first abutment edge of the first hinge member abuts the second abutment edge of the second hinge member at a position wherein the first leg and the second leg are perpendicular to each other forming a right angle.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a training device to assist children inproperly aligning themselves with respect to home plate for swinging ata ball as it approaches home plate and more particularly to an alignmentdevice which is easily manufactured, carried, stored and utilized inassisting in the proper alignment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Thousands of children ages eight and under with some as young as fourparticipate in baseball and softball activities. As these children arelearning the game, many features of the game must be taught. Thesefeatures include catching a ball, throwing a ball, baserunning andhitting. Hitting requires the child to approach home plate in a readyposition to swing at a ball as it is pitched or thrown to them. Properalignment is essential to ensure that the child is in a ready positionto swing at the pitch as it approaches them. However, as the childrenare young, they are easily distracted and positioning themselves in aready position is not always correctly undertaken. The children mayimproperly align themselves, for instance, their body may be aligned toeither first or third base or they may stand too far up in front of homeplate or too far behind home plate. Proper alignment is critical for thechild to enjoy the success of hitting a ball. Accordingly, coachesusually attend to the child as they stand in the batter's box and assistin positioning the child's feet, shoulders and hands to place them in aproper alignment. However, as most children are excited to be playing infront of their parents and such, once this alignment is correctlydetermined, it is soon forgotten at the next pitch. The result is thepace of play of the game is severely slowed down as each child isconsistently positioned correctly for each pitch. The slow pace of playis cumbersome to the enjoyment of the game.

Accordingly, there is a need for a hitting alignment device for youthbaseball and softball players which will assist the young child inproper placement for hitting a ball thrown or pitched to them. Thehitting alignment device should be easily positioned and maintained inposition for each subsequent hitter to ensure that the pace of play ismaintained. The alignment device should be of a low enough profile notto impede the movement of the child once the ball is hit and thealignment device should also be easily be carried by a coach and storedin a standard baseball bat bag or the like for transportation to a gamesite.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the preferred embodiment, a baseball or softball alignment trainingdevice comprises a first leg having a general length and having a firstend at one end of the general length and a second end at the distal endopposite from said first end. A second leg having a general length andhaving a first end at one end of the general length and a second end atthe distal end opposite from said first end. Aa first hinge membercarried by the second end of said first leg. The first hinge memberhaving a first abutment edge. The second hinge member carried by thesecond end of the second leg. The second hinge member having a secondabutment edge. The first and second hinge members pivotallyinterconnected and wherein the first abutment edge of the first hingemember abuts the second abutment edge of the second hinge member at aposition wherein the first leg and the second leg are perpendicular toeach other forming a right angle.

Additionally, a method of facilitating in teaching the proper alignmentof a ball player for hitting a pitched ball is provided. The methodcomprises providing a home plate having a front edge and a side edge andproviding an alignment training device having a first leg and a secondleg interconnected via a hinge mechanism. The first leg of the alignmenttraining device is aligned with the side edge of the home plate; and thesecond leg of the alignment device is aligned with the front edge of thehome plate by rotating the second leg with respect to the first byutilizing the hinge mechanism, wherein the hinge mechanism preventsmovement of the second leg when the second leg is at a ninety degreeangle with the first leg.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Implementations of the invention will become more apparent from thedetailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with thedrawings, in which like elements bear like reference numerals.

FIG. 1 illustrates an alignment training device for hitting according tothe present invention positioned for use by a batter in a hitting stancein front of a home plate.;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded bottom view of an alignment trainingdevice for hitting according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates one hinge of an alignment training device for hittingaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an assembled bottom view of an alignment trainingdevice for hitting in a partially folded position;

FIG. 5 illustrates an assembled bottom view of an alignment trainingdevice for hitting in a folded position for storage; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a method of utilizing an alignment training devicefor hitting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrate an alignment training device 104 for hitting accordingto the present invention positioned for use by a batter102 in a hittingstance in front of a home plate 100. In particular, the alignmenttraining device 104 is intended for utilization in children's baseballand softball games. The children may range from ages four and up. Aprimary purpose of these youth sports is to interest the children in therespective games while providing an enjoyable learning experience. Asthe youths are young, they are easily distracted, so a goal of theinvention is to provide a simple easy to replicate training aid whichmay be easily and readily positioned and utilized for use by the youthwithout slowing down the game.

Speed of the game is a critical purpose of the invention. As youth'sstruggle with understanding the fundamentals of the game, the pace ofplay is delayed. With the pace of play delayed, children in the fieldlose focus, children in the dugout get antsy and parents also strugglewith the time involved in the actual total time lapse of the game. Oneof the key areas to expedite the pace of play involves hitting. Hittingin baseball and softball involves a batter with a bat facing thepitcher. A home plate 100 is present as a target for the pitcher toposition a ball over the plate in order for the batter to hit the ball.A home plate has a pentagon shaped profile with a horizontal basegenerally seventeen inches in width facing toward the pitcher, a firstand opposite second side extending from the horizontal base at aninety-degree angle at a length generally eight point five inches. Atthe end of the respective sides, the first and second side include anextension which is generally twelve inches in length which meet at pointaligned with the center of the base, or eight point five inches from therespective edges of the base. The point wherein the first and secondside edges meet is the farthest point. Ironically, not known by mostpeople, the entire layout of the baseball diamond, such as the foullines, the positioning of the bases and pitching mound are all based onthe position and placement of home plate. Accordingly, positioning ofthe batter with respect to home plate is critical to ensure that thebatter is in the proper place for interfacing with the pitch thrown bythe pitcher. A key aspect of the present invention is to assist thebatter in positioning themselves with respect to home plate. Thehomeplate also has a general height.

As shown in FIG. 1 , (not to scale) a batter 102 is positioned to oneside of the homeplate 100, in more advanced games a batter's box may becreated wherein the batter must stay within the box during the pitch.However, in young youth games, even when a batter's box is initiallycreated, the lines are generally destroyed by the young children walkingthrough them. Positioning of the batter with respect to the home plateis critical for the young child to develop proper hitting skills.Unfortunately, young children tend to not understand where to standrequiring coaches to consistently reposition the youth during the atbat. The alignment training device 104 is positioned with respect tohome plate 100 to assist the batter in understanding where to stand.Alignment training device 104 includes a first leg 105 which is intendedto run offset and parallel to one of the sides of the home platedepending on the orientation of the youth with respect to beingleft-handed or right-handed dominant for hitting. A second leg 106 isperpendicularly oriented with respect to first leg 105 and is intendedto be positioned in line with the front of Homeplate 100. To facilitatethe positioning of the alignment training device 104, the hinge whichconnects the first and second leg is constructed with abutting surfaceswhich abut when the first and second legs are at a ninety-degree angle.Positioning the hinge offset from the intersection of the front and sideof the Homeplate ensures that the legs are properly positioned for thebatter. Utilizing the corner of the home plate as a guide ensures thatthe alignment training device can consistently be positioned for therespective batters. The alignment training device is preferably nohigher than home plate.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the alignment training device104. In the preferred embodiment, alignment training device 104 includesa first leg 105, a second leg 106, a first hinge member 110 and a secondhinge member 112. In the preferred embodiment, first leg 105 and secondleg 106 are of similar construction and style such that they may beutilized interchangeably in defining the alignment training device. Eachleg includes a body 125 of a generally length and width having a firstend 130 and a second end 135 opposite and distal from the first end.Preferably the length of the respective legs is greater than eight and ahalf inches to extend past the sides of the home plate. Preferablysecond end 135 has profile defining a tab 140 which is narrower than thewidth of first end 130 and smaller than the height of first end 130.With this configuration, second end 135 includes a periphery whichencircles tab 140. Tab 140 will be utilized for mating with a respectivehinge member 110 or 112. Tab 140 may include indentures 142 or othersecuring member for establishing a semi-secure connection with arespective hinge member. Preferably the bottom of each leg includes anembossed surface 145 for engaging the dirt associated around a homeplate and for securing the respective legs in position with respect tothe ground. Preferably, the embossed surface 145 includes a raisedserpentine grounding surface for interacting with the dirt. Theserpentine configuration resists lateral and longitudinal movement.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , a hinge 111 includes first hinge member 110and second hinge member 112. Hinge members 110 and 112 are designed formating attachment. In the preferred embodiment, first hinge member 110is constructed to be carried by first leg 105 and second hinge member112 is constructed to be carried by second leg 106. In the preferredembodiment, first hinge member 110 includes first hinge member recess150 defined by first hinge member base 152 and first hinge membersidewall 154 which is an integral part of first hinge member attachmentleg 156. As shown in FIG. 3 , first hinge member attachment leg 156includes a top 158 and an offset bottom 160. A left sidewall 162 andright sidewall 164 in conjunction with top 158 and bottom 160 definefirst leg receptacle or channel 166 for receiving first leg 105. Thelength of channel 166 is preferably the same length as tab 140 of firstleg 105 enabling tab 140 to be fully inserted within channel 166. Whenfully inserted, the peripheral portion of second end 135 which encirclestab 140 will abut and engage the top, bottom, left sidewall and rightsidewall of first hinge member attachment leg 156 thereby defining aflush junction such that the combined exterior profile of the first leg105 and first hinge member attachment leg 156 is smooth along its entirelength with no noticeable raised surfaces or detents. Also, in thepreferred embodiment, bosses 172 are defined within channel 166 forengaging with indentures 142 for maintaining first leg 105 in connectionwith first hinge member 110. As shown in FIG. 3 , first hinge member 110include a central pivot 170. Central pivot 170 extends upward from firsthinge member base 152 having a circular sidewall 174 which communicateswith a central pivot top 176. In the preferred embodiment, circularsidewall 174 in conjunction with central pivot top 176 define a lip 178such that preferably the central pivot 170 has a mushroom configuration.Central pivot 170 is offset from first hinge member sidewall 154defining second hinge receptacle area 179.

As shown in FIG. 2 , second hinge member 112 includes pivoting member180 which is integrally formed as an extension of second hinge memberattachment leg 182. Second hinge member attachment leg 182 has a similarconstruction as first hinge member attachment leg 156.

Preferably, pivoting member 180 has a circular profile for beingreceived within second hinge receptacle area 179. Additionally, pivotingmember 180 includes a central channel 186 for receiving central pivot170. In the preferred embodiment, central channel 186 of pivoting member180 has an internal circumference slightly smaller than lip 178 suchthat by the deformation of lip 178 and central channel 186, centralchannel 186 may pass over lip 178 and wherein lip 178 retains the secondhinge member 112 in pivotal communication with first hinge member 110.

A key feature of the invention is the presence of a stop which includesfirst stop wall 190 formed at the edge of first hinge member sidewall154 and second stop wall 192 formed at the edge of second hingeattachment leg 182. In operation when pivoting member 180 is receivedwithin second hinge receptacle area 179, first stop wall 190 and secondstop wall 192 are axially aligned such that when pivoting member 180pivots around central pivot 170 second stop wall 192 abuts first stopwall stopping further rotational movement of second attachment leg withrespect to first attachment leg and in this stopped orientation, firstattachment leg and second attachment leg are perpendicularly disposedforming a right angle as shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 illustrates thealignment training device in a position intermediary a fully open orclosed position. FIG. 5 illustrates the alignment training device in aclosed position for ready placement. In operation the alignment trainingdevice can be separated into three distinct components, the firstattachment leg, the second attachment leg and a completed hingeconstruction which is readily adaptable for being attached to therespective legs. By being easily separated, the three components can bereadily stored in a batting bag or other similar carry device making thealignment training device easily portable to and from the respectivegames.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method 600 for training children to hit a baseballor softball utilizing the alignment training device. The method includesproviding a home plate 610 which is commonly provided at a field whereina ball game is undertaken. With the provision of the home plate, one legof the alignment device is aligned with the side of the home plate atstep 620. The alignment leg will be offset from the side edge of homeplate depending on if the batter is left-handed or right-handed. Oncethe first leg of the alignment training device is positioned, the secondleg is rotated with respect to the first leg until the hinge mechanismstops any further rotation of the second leg. When the movement of thesecond leg is stopped, the second leg is at a ninety-degree angle withthe first leg. The second leg is aligned with the front edge of homeplate providing a hitting area for the child. It is understood thatmovement of the second leg can be done prior to positioning of the firstleg on the ground. It is preferred that that hinge be positioned offsetfrom where the front of home plate meets the side of home plate as shownin FIG. 1 .

Accordingly, it may be seen that an advantageous alignment device may behad according to the present invention to facilitate in teaching youngchildren where to position themselves with respect to an on coming pitchby providing a simple to use device which is lightweight and portablefor easy maneuverability to ball fields while being sturdy and weightedenough to stay in position on the ground once placed. It is presumedthat the young children using the device will routinely step on thedevice, kick the device, etc., hence the weight of the device isimportant to ensure that it stays on the ground. A contoured bottomsurface also facilitates in maintaining the alignment device on theground. The device consists of three separate components whichpreferably are detachably attached enabling the alignment device to beconstructed on site will maintaining a smaller footprint for beingcarried in a bat bag. The hinge mechanism enables the alignment deviceto easily obtain a ninety-degree perpendicular configuration forpositioning with respect to a home plate providing an instructionalalignment training guide. The use of the guide is intended to facilitatethe increase in speed of play of the game as the device removes thecontinued engagement of a coach and young child in how to positionthemselves for receiving a pitch. The alignment device is easy to use,easy to maneuver and easy to understand by a child.

We claim: 1: (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. The alignmenttraining device of claim 5 wherein the first and second legs are atleast eight and a half inches in length.
 5. A method of practicing ahitting stance for a baseball or softball player comprising: providing abaseball or softball alignment training device comprising: a first leghaving a general length and having a first end at one end of the generallength and a second end at the distal end opposite from said first end;a second leg having a general length and having a first end at one endof the general length and a second end at the distal end opposite fromsaid first end; a first hinge member carried by the second end of saidfirst leg; a second hinge member carried by the second end of saidsecond leg; said first and second hinge members pivotallyinterconnected; positioning said baseball or softball alignment trainingdevice relative to an object representing a home plate; positioning saidfirst and second legs apart from each other defining a baseball orsoftball player hitting stance area in relation to a home plate enablinga baseball or softball player to enter in said player hitting stancearea to establish a hitting stance in relation to a home plate.
 6. . Amethod of practicing a hitting stance for a baseball or softball playercomprising: providing a baseball or softball alignment training devicecomprising: a first leg having a general length and having a first endat one end of the general length and a second end at the distal endopposite from said first end; a second leg having a general length andhaving a first end at one end of the general length and a second end atthe distal end opposite from said first end; a first hinge membercarried by the second end of said first leg; said first hinge memberhaving a first abutment edge; a second hinge member carried by thesecond end of said second leg; said second hinge member having a secondabutment edge; said first and second hinge members pivotallyinterconnected; and wherein said first abutment edge of said first hingemember abuts said second abutment edge of said second hinge member at aposition wherein said first leg and said second leg are perpendicular toeach other forming a right angle; a tab extension at the distal ends ofsaid first and second legs and said first and second hinge membersinclude receptacles respectively for receiving a respective tab of eachleg such that when assembled the height of the first leg and first hingemember define a continuous planar surface; positioning said baseball orsoftball alignment training device relative to an object representing ahome plate; positioning said first and second legs apart from each otherdefining a baseball or softball player hitting stance area in relationto a home plate enabling a baseball or softball player to enter in saidplayer hitting stance area to establish a hitting stance in relation toa home plate; and positioning the right and left feet relative to saidfirst and said second legs of said baseball or softball alignmenttraining device for defining a stance in relation to said home plate. 7.The alignment training device of claim 6 wherein said first hinge memberincludes a first hinge member recess defined by a first hinge memberbase and first hinge member sidewall, said first hinge member sidewallhaving an arcuate profile and terminating at a first stop wall formed atthe edge of first hinge member sidewall; a central pivot extendingupward from said first hinge member base, said central pivot locatedcentrally within the body of said first hinge member base.
 8. Thealignment training device of claim 7 wherein said second hinge memberincludes a pivoting member carried by a second hinge member base, saidpivoting member having a central channel for receiving said centralpivot of said first hinge member.
 9. The alignment training device ofclaim 8 wherein said second hinge member includes a sidewall defining astop for abutting the first stop wall formed at the edge of the firsthinge member sidewall terminating rotational movement of said second legwherein said second leg is perpendicular to said first leg.
 10. Thealignment training device of claim [2] 8 wherein said first and secondlegs each have a bottom respectively and said bottoms of said first andsecond legs include extending bosses for engaging the ground.
 11. Thealignment training device of claim 10 wherein said extending bossesdefine a serpentine configuration. 12-16. (canceled)
 17. (canceled) 18.(canceled)
 19. A method of facilitating in teaching the proper alignmentof a ball player for hitting a pitched ball, said method comprising:providing a home plate having a front edge and a side edge; providing analignment training device having a first leg and a second leginterconnected via a hinge mechanism; aligning said first leg of saidalignment training device with said side edge of said home plate; andaligning the second leg of said alignment device with said front edge ofsaid home plate by rotating said second leg with respect to said firstutilizing said hinge mechanism, wherein said hinge mechanism preventsmovement of said second leg when said second leg is at a ninety degreeangle with said first leg.